Unit heater



Nov. 3, 1942; v w. HEATH 2,301,045

mm HEATER Filed Jan. 20. 1940 I INVENTOR (ll/ll/A/D R. HEAT/1" PatentedNov. 3, 1942 Uiti'i'ED STTES PATENT EFECE UNIT HEATER William It. Heath,Bufialo, N. Y., assignor to Buffalo Forge Company, Buffalo, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application January 20, 1940, Serial No. 314,890

Claims.

My invention relates in general to unit heaters and more particularly tothe outlets of such heaters.

The principal object of my invention has been to provide an outlet meansfor unit heaters which shall be adjustable to vary the velocity of airemerging therefrom.

Another object has been to provide an outlet for unit'heaters made up oftwo interengaging members so formed that relative movement thereof willbring about an adjustment of the outlet opening to vary the velocity ofthe air passing therethrough, one or both of which mem bers may haveinclined side walls.

A further object has been to provide an outlet formed of twointerengaging members in the form of a frustrum of a cone or a pyramid.

Another object has been to provide means for dividing the outlet into anumber of definite outlet passageways defined by spaced walls, whilemanufacture and may be easily adjusted in permanent manner.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the deviceshown in the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a unit heater showing my outlet insection.

Fig, 2 is a bottom plan view of my invention.

Fig. 3 is an'enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

Fig'. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional View of a modified formof invention.

In the drawing, Hi represents the unit heater of the type usuallysuspended from the ceiling of the room to be heated. In this type ofheater, an electric motor H is suitably mounted within the center of theheater and carries at its lower end a fan [2 which is preferably locatedin the outlet nozzle is of the unit. These unit heaters are providedwith a heating coil (not shown) to which an inlet pipe l4 and an outletpipe l5 are suitably connected. In heaters of this type air is drawnhorizontally into the heater over suitable fins (not shown) carried bythe heating coil and is driven by means of the fan downwardly throughthe outlet nozzle l3 of the heater.

In carrying out my invention I use two members so arranged as to providea valved outlet opening for the heater with means for adjusting vide theoutlet space divided into a number of outlet pasasgeways 26 the valvemembers so as to change the size of the openings for varying thevelocity of the heater outlet. For convenience of illustration, I haveshown. an outer member 28 and an inner member 21. These members areshown as being in the shape of a frustrum of a cone or a pyramid butobviously other shapes, hereinafter referred to, may be used to carryout my invention.

My invention comprises an outer cone 2i! and an inner cone 2| soarranged as to provide a space between them which forms the outlet forthe heater. The outer cone 2%] has a flange 22 'for suitable attachmentto the outlet nozzle E3 of the heater and a skirt 23 arranged at asuitable angle with the axis of the outlet nozzle.

The inner cone 2! has a skirt 25 which may be arranged at a slightlydifferent angle than the skirt 23 of the outer cone 2% and this cone ismounted centrally within the outer cone to pro- This outlet space isarranged symmetrically within the outer cone 35.3 formed preferably ofsheet metal having two diverging walls or wings 3| extending from acentrally arranged guide portion 32 and secured suitably to the innersurfaces of the outer cone. The two opposite walls 3i of any twoadjacent splitters are preferably parallel in arrangement for formingthe outlet passageways 2b. The splitters are so designed and positionedthat the guide portions 32 thereof contact with the outer periphery'ofthe inner cone 23 and therefore provide guides for the verticaladjustment of said inner cone.

inner cone and through which may be passed bolts 35 whereby the innercone may be securely fastened in its adjusted position.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 4, the skirt 2-? of the outer cone2!] is provided at a number of points with a downwardly extendingadjusting plate 5.8. The skirt 25 of the inner cone 2| is provided withan equal number of upstanding adjusting plates 4 i. These plates are inoverlapped arrangement, as shown in Fig. 4, and the plates 4i are eachpreferably formed with elongated slots 42 formed preferably in Verticalplanes and engaging bolts 43 carried by the plate 40. Wing nuts 41 arecarried by the bolts whereby the plates may be securely locked together.In this form of invention, the adjustment is brought about by looseningthe wing nuts and moving the inner cone 2| up or down to the desiredposition, whereupon the parts are securely fastened in such adjustedposition by tightening the wing nuts.

It will be clearly seen from the foregoing that when it is desired toincrease the velocity of air coming from the passageways 26 in the formof invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the bolts 35 are removed and theinner cone is adjusted upwardly to the desired position and where theapertures in the flange 33 will register with the apertures 34 of thesplitters, whereupon the bolts are again inserted and the inner conelocked in its adjusted position. Obviously, when it is desired todecrease the velocity of the air at the outlet of the heater, the innercone is lowered so as to increase the size of each of the outletpassageways.

While I have shown the two members of my invention as formed in theshape of a frustrum of a cone or a pyramid, it is obvious that otherforms may be employed for producing the regulating or valve action onthe outlet opening. For instance, the outer member may be cylindricaland the inner member conical; the outer member may be conical orpyramidical with a fiat plate acting as the inner member, such innermember being flat or of conical cusp shape; or such members may be ofinverted saucer shape. Furthermore, the outer member may be made in theform of an outwardly flaring cone frustrum and the inner member in theform of an inwardly flaring inverted cone frustrum. These and othermodifications of the details herein shown and described may be madewithout departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of theappended claims, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to theexact embodiments herein shown and described, the forms shown beingmerely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An outlet for unit heaters comprising an outer cone, an inner cone,said inner cone being smaller in diameter than the outer cone andaxially movable to permit adjustment of said outlet, and a plurality ofsplitters arranged between said cones, said splitters having flaringwing portions and being so disposed as to divide the discharge spacebetween the cones into a plurality of separate outlet passageways.

2. An outlet for unit heaters comprising an outer cone, an inner cone,said inner cone being smaller in diameter than the outer cone andaxially movable to permit adjustment of said outlet, and a plurality ofsplitters arranged between said cones, said splitters having flaringwing portions and being so disposed as to divide the discharge spacebetween the cones into a plurality of separate outlet passageways, saidsplitters forming guides for the adjustment of said inner cone.

3. An outlet for unit heaters comprising an outer cone, an inner conemovable within the outer cone to regulate the size of the outlet, saidinner cone being smaller in diameter than the outer cone, and aplurality of splitters carried by the outer cone, each comprisingoutwardly flaring wing portions secured to said outer cone and aninterconnecting guide portion engageable with the outer periphery ofsaid inner cone for maintaining the same in sliding adjustable relationwith said outer cone, and means for looking said inner cone in adjustedposition,

4. An outlet for unit heaters comprising an outer hollow tubular memberhaving inclined walls, an inner member mounted within said outer memberand in interspaced relation therewith, said inner member cooperatingwith said outer member to form an outlet opening for the heater, meansfor moving said inner member in axial relation to said outer member tochange the size of the outlet opening for varying the velocity of theair passing therethrough, and a plurality of splitters between saidmembers, each of said splitters being provided with flaring wingportions for attachment to said outer member to divide the outletopening into a plurality of outlet passageways, each pair of wingportions being joined by a substantially flat portion, said flatportions providing guides for said inner member.

5. A unit heater comprising a rotary fan having an annular discharge ofgreater velocity near the outer end thereof, said heater being providedat its discharge end with an outer outlet cone and a co-acting innercone mounted within said outer cone, said cones being so proportionedand arranged as to have the discharge opening therebetween in the pathof the highest velocity fan discharge, said cones having relative axialmovement for adjusting the area or" the heater discharge, and aplurality of splitters between said members, each of said splittershaving flaring wing portions for attachment to said outer cone to dividethe annular discharge opening into a plurality of separate airpassageways.

WILLIAM R. HEATH.

